1970 Season Team Previews

Young Drachma · 08-07-2008, 10:13 PM

Here's the format.

The $1 million cash prize isn't what it used to be for this. I don't really have a suitable prize. But you ought to do it anyway.

Alan T · 08-07-2008, 10:35 PM

VALDOSTA PEANUTS
1969: 95-59, 2nd place CL

Last season was a mixed bag for the peanuts, as they failed to reach the postseason for the second straight year while at the same time scoring more runs and allowing fewer runs than any other team in the CL.

Valdosta returns perhaps the scariest 1-2 pitching combination in the game with staff ace Gabriel 'Vandal' Prado who led the league last year in Innings pitched, ERA, BABIP, WHIP, RA/9, VORP, Quality Starts, and QS %. In fact, for the 10 years of FOOL's existance, Prado has led the league in WHIP 5 of those seasons. Prado is followed in the rotation by 23 year old Carlos 'Gramps' Gonzales, whom was the 1967 Rookie of the Year and the 1968 Pitcher of the Year. The fireballing Gonzales led the league in Strikeouts and K/9 last year and has in fact led the league in Strikeouts all three years that he has been in the majors.

The question marks regarding the Peanuts' pitching staff can be found at the end of the rotation as well as in the bullpen. Future Hall of Fame Closer Matt Wood only needs 33 more saves to reach 300 for his career, however the leash on him might be short after his 5-11 record last season. Valdosta may look to youngsters Albert 'Stinky' Barbosa and Billy Stephens to lock up the 8th and 9th innings instead.

Valdosta's every day lineup was the most potent in the CL last season despite having an extreme fall off in their power numbers from previous years. Left fielder Lawrence Wyatt led the Peanuts last season with only 13 home runs, despite putting up an .885 OPS. The huge hole in this year's lineup is the absence of team leader Heath Palmer who chose to move across the country for a big pay day rather than stay loyal to a team and a town that loved him. His shoes will be attempted to be filled by former MVP third baseman Rick Inman whom put up his worst numbers since his rookie season last year.

Valdosta did not make any key offseason aquisitions this year, instead choosing to stand pat. For a team that finished with the best pythagorean record in all of FOOL, the big question for 1970 will be: Did they just get unlucky last season, and can virtually the same team one year older pull back to the postseason for the second time in four years?

Young Drachma · 08-07-2008, 11:31 PM

QUAD CITY THUNDERSTORMS
1969: 38-116, 8th place RL

To truly understand how bad the former Chicago Comets have been in the FOOL, consider this. They have only had won 70+ win season in franchise history, a 4th place finish during the first season of FOOL play in 1961. Since that team, the team has been one of the worst in the game and despite a few stutters have never been able to grasp any footing.

Along with Toronto and Seattle, they among the only three teams in FOOL history to never record a winning season and only two -- expansion Seattle and former Chicago -- have never had at least a .500 season.

Enter Dark Cloud. The only original GM left in FOOL, he's taken his game to the owners chair now, acquiring an ownership stake in a team after a career that's led him to six RL titles in nine years and 2 FOOL Classic championships. After taking Compton further than anyone could've imagined -- to a 9-game extra inning classic -- to the brink of a title against Brooklyn, he left sunny California for the stifling humidity of the Midwest and heads just north of the Mississippi river, where he led the St. Louis Terriers for years.

By moving the woeful Comets franchise to a small city outside of the glitz and glamor and to the smallest market in the RL and the 2nd smallest market in all of FOOL (after Valdosta) he thinks that this just might be the trick to creating the Midwest's newest sensation in baseball -- the Quad City Thunderstorms.

The Thunderstorms are a young team, owning to a strategy where D.C. went out and acquired players to complement the team's core. "We wanted to get players that could grow with the ballclub, while augmenting what we've already got," he said.

The pitching staff is led by Nelson Valdes from Colorado, who went 11-13 with a 4.25 last year. He's only won 11 games each of the four years of his career. Second in the rotation, Dave Hardee is a 22-year old rookie southpaw, who was one of the best pitching prospects for the Rancheros who came in the trade from the Craig Davis trade this off-season. Rounding out the rotation are former Seattle hurler Carlos Gomez who went 13-15 last year and 5th starter is Hisashi Hosino, a former reliever who went came over from Hartford and who has never been a starter before.

On the offensive side of the house, the T-Storms return former all-star SS Clay Darby who is coming off a down year for him, hitting .262 with 11 HR and 74 RBI last year.

Free agent signee Jerry Matthews will play first base after coming over from Texas this year. He hit .287 with 22 HRs and 97 RBI.

Youngster infielder Lorenz Heijnen is hoping for a breakout second year, after a rookie year hitting .229. Second-year player Bob Arnold is playing DH. The team reads like a FOOL emerging players list. Third baseman Marcos Montoya will make his debut this year.

This is a young squad and they're pitching chops are a bit weak, yet...this is the first time that the franchise has a legitimate shot to reach the mountaintop of .500 or better.

They're going to grow into their spots, but it'll be fun to watch these guys grow.

gstelmack · 08-08-2008, 12:57 PM

I don't know if I have time for a full preview, but some Boston notes:

- After handing Patrick Perkins an extension at the beginning of the 1969 season, he decided to show his career was about over, and management cut him and ate the entire extension at the start of this year. Mike Vickers has been moved up to AAA to help round out the infield.

- MacDonald and Maddox are back to anchor our staff. 1st round draft pick Ryan Cook decided to make huge strides in spring training and has immediately moved into the #5 spot in our rotation.

- Millard has been moved up from AAA to add another bat in the outfield and to help in right field.

Aside from that, we've got another year of experience for a lot of young folks. My big mistake is probably having one too many fielders and one too few relievers, but with various relievers only pitching 10 innings the last few seasons, I felt it was worth it to keep the batters fresh. We haven't slid any talent-wise, should be a bit better, and so if things hold together we should be reaching towards 90 wins and a shot at the pennant. Or reaching towards 90 wins and a FIFTH place finish this year if the pattern continues...

Commo_Soldier · 08-08-2008, 01:15 PM

BROOKLYN BROWNSTONS
1969: 97-57, 1st place *Fool Classic Champions*
1968: 89-65, 2nd place
1967: 74-80, 7th place

Heading into the 10th season of FOOL and 7th under the guidance of GM Commo Soldier the Brownstones are trying to become the first repeat champions since the now defunct St. Louis Terriers.

The off-season saw Brooklyn bring back every player that was on their active roster during the magical summer of 1969. This prevented them from making any big free agent signings. They did however make a few cheap signings. One of which was bringing in two time all-star RF Fernando Garza who signed a one-year $450,000 deal and is currently in negotiations for an extension. Garza has had two down seasons since his solid 1967 season which saw him bat .312/.387/.491 and a VORP of 42.6. Brooklyn hopes a change of scenery will help Garza post a season much like second baseman Nathan Adams posted last year with the Brownstones after most thought he had nothing left.

With bringing everyone back from last year and signing Garza one would expect them to compete again for the title again this year. With ambitions of trying to become a repeat champion Commo Soldier was not about to keep the same squad in place for the upcoming season as he has sent 5 members of the Championship team down to the minors for the season. This created room for 4 new rookie faces and a outfield spot for Garza.

With playing in a pitcher friendly park you will need batters that can play the type of baseball needed to win in such a park. The Brownstones believe they have this in a team that stole more bases than any other last year and can find the expansive gaps that are in Cowpie Stadium. The perfect example of a Brownstones batter lies with CF Rich Lang who came over from the Vulture league last year and led the Brownstones to the Championship. They will look for much of the same results this season and hope that his .179 batting average in Spring Training is nothing to be conserned about.

The pitching staff is what has carried the Brownstones to spectacular finishes the past two seasons as both their starting pitching and relievers have lead the league in ERA the past two seasons and look to make it three. They have called up young stud Dennis Marnane from the Jersey City Brownstones this past year after he posted an excellent 2.51 ERA in 46.2 innings.

This looks to be an exciting season as the FOOL heads into its 10th year! With some fresh new faces and a few surprises Brooklyn's owner has hopes they will make the playoffs. Only time will tell if his hopes are full-filled like last year when he wanted to win the Championship. How does this reporter see them finishing the year when all is said and done? Well see for yourself in the breakdown below.

Team	Wins	Losses
Firecrackers	14	8
Terrapins	14	8
Highlanders	11	11
Roadrunners	12	10
Copperheads	17	5
Atlantics	13	9
Peanuts	10	12
OVERALL	91	63

Splits	Wins	Losses
Home	51	26
Away	40	37

Prediction: 2nd place

Cringer · 08-08-2008, 02:31 PM

Rio Grande Roadrunners
1969: 71-83, Fourth in CL
1968: 92-62, FOOL Champions

After an amazing championship season in 1968, the Roadrunners tried to maintain the roster in 1969. What seemed to be minimal changes on the outside seemed to be create more then enough impact on the team to cause them to drop out of what ended up as a three way race for the CL crown. Several changes before last season were made to the 'backup' and utility players, and lack of contribution from those guys seemed to hurt the Roadrunners. The loss of their #2 starting pitcher and a change at closer also seemed to be negatives. The rest of the team stayed the same though, and it was that that actually hurt R.G. the most. A drop off in offensive numbers from 1968 to 1969 for several key, middle of the lineup guys took it's toll.

So going into the 1970 season the Roadrunners were to make some big changes right? Wrong. The front office in Rio Grande wanted to hold course and see if they can bounce back from a down year. The lineup will remain unchanged once again. Even the guys on the bench remain nearly unchanged. The hope here? Well, the guys on the bench were mostly new to the major league level, so another year may bring more production. Also, the stars are just that in the eyes of management, stars. They will be expected to bounce back from their down years and if all goes well then the team will once again have a winning record.

C Tanaka is expected to be his normal self, but guys to watch this year are those who had down years last year. RF Andres Aguilera was one of those guys, and with a slow spring there will be little patience from fans if he is not at least average this season. 1B Tyler Reilly is another guy who dropped off last year, and really has folks wondering if he is done for after a horrible spring. LF Juan Navarro, after a great rookie year in '68 needs to bounce back from his bad '69 season. If those three guys are not better then they were a year ago then this team is in trouble.

When it comes to pitching, we once again see no to little change from a year ago. The rotation will be the same five starters from a year ago, after Ted Prouse was ineffective in his second straight spring and will once again sit in AAA for the year. SP Jose Medina will be the #1 guy, as his down year last year can actually be blamed some on the lack of offensive support. The only real change in the rotation will be Doug Pitts moving back to a more natural #3 (or perhaps even #4) spot, with Pepe Santana moving to #2 and Todd Sparks being in 3 or 4. Billy Martin will spend his 4th season in the Roadrunner's 5th spot, where he has been a steady but unspectacular pitcher since joining the team. In the bullpen we will see two newcomers in Javier Cruz and Pat Moss, both who come from the minors of other organizations last year. Moss did spend a couple seasons in the majors for Brooklyn previous to last year and the hope is he will be fairly solid. The main change in the bullpen is at the closer spot. Raul Pagan, a long time fixture and stud in the Rio Grande bullpen will be moved back to the closer role. After a great '68 season in that role he was once again moved to setup man last year and Manual Montano was the closer. The move was considered a failure overall, though not a disaster. Hopes are with those two switching spots again that the bullpen will be more effective overall.

As we look at the 1970 Rio Grande Roadrunners, what will happen this season is a mystery. Will they recapture some of what they had in '68, or fall flat again like they did in '69? Early indications are that the 1968 season is in the past and it will be hard to recapture that glory. Brooklyn, New York, and Valdosta have to be seen as the frontrunners once again, though perhaps Rio grande can hang with them this season if things go right.

Prediction: 78-76, 4th place

Young Drachma · 08-08-2008, 05:22 PM

The FOOL.TV team got together, crunched some numbers, figured some stuff out and came up with the best teams in the league this year. I think their results will surprise you. Of course, this would be advice that flies in the face of the Spring Training curse where ST champs don't win the actual league title. So really, it's probably not gonna happen. But hey, these are the experts!

1970 SEASON PREDICTIONS

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE

Quote:

1. Valdosta
2. Toronto
3. Brooklyn
4. Atlanta
5. New York
6. Rio Grande
7. Baltimore
8. Texas

REPUBLIC LEAGUE

Quote:

1. Compton
2. Boston
3. Ann Arbor
4. Quad City
5. Seattle
6. Colorado
7. El Paso
8. Hartford

FOOL CLASSIC: Valdosta def. Compton 5 games to 3

Chief Rum · 08-08-2008, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

The FOOL.TV team got together, crunched some numbers, figured some stuff out and came up with the best teams in the league this year. I think their results will surprise you. Of course, this would be advice that flies in the face of the Spring Training curse where ST champs don't win the actual league title. So really, it's probably not gonna happen. But hey, these are the experts!

1970 SEASON PREDICTIONS

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE

REPUBLIC LEAGUE

FOOL CLASSIC: Valdosta def. Compton 5 games to 3

Interesting. Just gut calls or some other metric?

Alan T · 08-08-2008, 07:52 PM

Wow, Fool tv changed their predictions from when I saw them earlier! I was going to comment about how I didn't mind being an underdog and that historically I have done much better when no one expected me to win then the seasons i was picked to win the league (Earlier he had me picked to finish 5th in the CL).. I chose not to post it as I didn't want to come across too smug or anything! I wonder why the drastic change for the tv show?

Young Drachma · 08-08-2008, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Interesting. Just gut calls or some other metric?

Well I did one using my straight gut.

Then I went back and really looked at the teams again. It doesn't make any sense. But every year we've done it, I've always just gone with the conventional picks. So I decided to just go out on a limb this year and predict all sorts of chaos and wackyness.

I fully expect to be wrong. In fact, I hope to be. After all, there is a reason they play the games.

Young Drachma · 08-08-2008, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan T

Wow, Fool tv changed their predictions from when I saw them earlier! I was going to comment about how I didn't mind being an underdog and that historically I have done much better when no one expected me to win then the seasons i was picked to win the league (Earlier he had me picked to finish 5th in the CL).. I chose not to post it as I didn't want to come across too smug or anything! I wonder why the drastic change for the tv show?

Well...we wrote the first ones, just based off the random gut of "well, this ought to happen." Then I started to look at spring training results, looked at the rosters of the teams and started to analyze things a bit closer, took some guesses and of course, threw in some surprises.

Anyone could predict it easily, we wanted to really go at it and make it really challenging.

FOOL.TV, gives it to you straight. After further review,

Alan T · 08-08-2008, 08:05 PM

I think my pitching is going to be roughly the same as last year. My bullpen I think will be slightly stronger, my starting pitching should be about the same but perhaps a bit deeper. I think Prado can't possibly repeat last year which was probably one of the best years any pitcher has had in the history of this league (all things other than wins excluded), but my 3rd and 5th starters should be better than last year I think.

My hitting I think is tougher to determine.. I don't think overall it will be as good as last year, but the numbers my offense put up last year were very underrated. Considering the park we played half of our games in, then looking at their equalized stats vs the rest of the CL, and they were heads and tails better then any other offense in the CL. I don't think they can improve or even repeat that feat.. the one number that absolutely has to improve though is the power numbers.. I actually didn't think it was possible to put up that type of OPS with that low of HR total.

I still think last year the two best teams were in the CL, and in my heart I feel if last season was run 10 times, we'd at least make the championship a handful of those times. So my goal is to try and keep at least even from last year, but in the end I don't think it will be possible. I'm hoping though the same will be true with other CL teams.

Young Drachma · 08-08-2008, 08:08 PM

The most bold predictions were 1) Picking Toronto to finish 2nd, 2) Picking Hartford to finish last and 3) picking Seattle and Quad City to finish above Colorado.

I just don't think any of those three things are likely to happen. But again, that's why you play games. I can't wait for the 10th season of FOOL!

Alan T · 08-08-2008, 08:10 PM

I also don't expect my team to finish first for another reason.. I drastically changed my team strategy this year to mirror a more comfortable style of play for me. Which sometimes leads to unpredicatble results and the needs for different players in the lineup than I expect...

I'm also playing at least 2 people out of position most of the year, and made two pretty drastic relief pitching changes for me.. so I'm excited to see the results tonight.

Young Drachma · 08-08-2008, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan T

I also don't expect my team to finish first for another reason.. I drastically changed my team strategy this year to mirror a more comfortable style of play for me. Which sometimes leads to unpredicatble results and the needs for different players in the lineup than I expect...

I'm also playing at least 2 people out of position most of the year, and made two pretty drastic relief pitching changes for me.. so I'm excited to see the results tonight.

I've had a lot of success playing people out of position. I think in this league, it doesn't penalize you as much as other leagues for some reason. Maybe because the other teams don't get to adjust to your strategy or maybe because the value their bat brings, doesn't hurt you as much even if their defense is woeful.

The team strategy thing you are right about. It's feast or famine for sure when you go there and tinker, I learned that a few years ago with Compton. But it can also help, depending on the situation.

graygoose12 · 08-08-2008, 10:45 PM

Atlanta Firecrackers
1969: 69-85, 6th place in CL

After basically missing an entire season due to a vacation, I made it back in time to make some late signings this past offseason. My team is still a couple of years away from being competitive, but I finally have in place a solid core of good young players

Pitchers
David Barajas - One of the better young pitchers in the league, still only 22 years old. Followed a 14-win, 2.88 ERA in his rookie year, with a 11-win, 3.73 ERA last year. Should improve on those numbers.

Orlando Fernandez - Another young pitcher (27 years old), went 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA in 1969.

Robert Hooper - 24 years old, 12-15 with a 4.03 ERA in 1969.

Jose Muniz - A very solid relief pitcher, went 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 73.1 IP last year.

Stan Miller - Only 19 years old, went 2-3, 36 saves, and a 1.55 ERA in 1969.

Corey Templeman - 20 years old, a 2.80 ERA in 74 IP last year.

Offense
2B Fred Lindsay - Solid infielder, batted .313 (.401 OBP), 9 HR, 56 RBI in 1969.

3B Ed Manning - One of the better third baseman in the league, .309 (.408 OBP), 24 HR, 78 RBI last year.

OF Jorge Aguirre - Only 18 years old, batted .318, 11 HR, 45 RBI in his inaugural season.

Chief Rum · 08-08-2008, 11:09 PM

COLORADO RANCHEROS
Last Year: 77-77, .500 (6th place, RL)

To say it was a surprise to see the dominant team from 1968 finish with a .500 record and distantly far from the postseason last year is simply understating it. Teams do go into funks, but to lose 20 games from one season to the next with essentially the same roster says that either a team had some tremendous bad luck, or serious changes needed to be made.

I decided to ride the fence. Most of the same team from 1968 is still back and playing key roles. It is my belief that most of them simply had bad years and will bounce back. But I didn't sit idly by, either. I made a major trade in bringing in superstud young starter Craig Davis from Quad City, a developing pitcher who if he meets his talents will be one of the most dominant pitchers in the league.

Davis (7-18, 4.76) should benefit from playing for a team with more talent, and is already seeing further growth in his abilities. Plus, he won't have to handle "ace" pressure. That still goes to Pablo Gonzalez (17-11, 3.28), a former Pitcher of the Year who remains one of the most consistent ace pitchers in the league. Doug Proctor (15-11, 4.12), one of the best control pitchers in the league, and second year arm Tadakuni Minami (13-13, 4.28), who has tremendous stuff, return to handle the middle of the rotation. The Davis trade included Nelson Valdes, Quad City's new ace. His replacement is former Winter Leaguer Rob Goodwin (17-2, 1.36 at AAA), who was simply dominant at Plano.

Goodwin beat out fellow Winter Leaguer Ite Beens and former starter Juan Nunez, who was actually dealt in the Davis deal and was re-signed after being cut by Toronto. Beens and Nunez give the organization quality depth at AAA.

The biggest indicator of unusual issues in Colorado in 1969 was the odd downfall of the pen, which was consistently the dominant bullpen unit in the league prior to last year. Superstar CL Pedro Castillo (41 sv, 3.51) returns with an eye toward returning to the dominating numbers of his previous years. The pen remains stocked with cross-the-board blue chip arms in setup man Dale Hawkins (2.72), John Mockly (3.24) and Kevin King (3 sv, 3.84).

There were rumors that star C Alfredo Alvarado (.327, 16, 81) had taken a hit in the offseason, but he swung the bat well in spring training and is angling for a new contract in his walk year.

Not so fortunate is 1B Santiago Gonzalez (.248, 18, 76), who suffered easily his worst season last year, and is also in a walk year. The team is not expected to resign him, and brought in former Ann Arbor farmhand John Todd (just 68 ABs at AAA) to compete with him. Todd didn't get any major league time with Ann Arbor, but scouts say he has a nice stroke and some pop.

The only thing set for sure in the middle infield is that star 2B Christian Larsen (.274, 17, 83) will be in the lineup somewhere. It is thought that he will play some short as well this year. Remaining at bats at short and second will feature longtime platooner Lloyd Carnell (.227, 15, 43), who kills lefties, and sweet stroking 2B Rich Haas (just 39 at bats last year). Haas takes over for another good contact hitter in Brian Sampson, another casualty of the Davis deal.

Haas and Todd will also see a lot of time at DH.

Third base is set. Japanese superstar 3B Teruo Miyahara (.302, 26, 96) is clearly the center of the hitting universe for Colorado and will likely be so for years.

The starting outfield returns intact, although the skills of Antonio Morales, dealt away in the Davis deal and now with Toronto, will be felt if some of these players don't bounce back from off years last year.

Two years ago, LF Jose Rivera (.283, 10, 78) was one of the most dominant all around players in the league, but his power numbers took a hit last year. While he was never a power hitter, he is likely to improve on his numbers last year. DH Francisco Vega (.266, 18, 64) was the only player who really reproduced his season from 1968, and he will be counted on for more consistency this year.

With Morales gone and power hitter Joe Mack (.274, 8, 29) relegated to more of a backup role, this will be RF Dan Murphy's (.304, 5, 31) coming out party. Murphy has reasonable power and discipline, but what could make him special is a stroke which could win him batting titles in his career. The pressure is highest on formerly well-regarded CF Ivan Garcia (.249, 9, 38), who was much lighter hitting in his second year than as a backup in his first. He did steal 52 bases, but was caught 36 times, and never even approached his 1968 numbers. With Morales now gone, Garcia will need to improve and show his talent to take this team to the next level.

The RL is way too tough to pick us as champs like I did a few years ago after winning our only Classic in 1966. But we still have the horses to contend. If the vets have the bounce back years they should and some key rookies or former backups with bigger roles have the years their talent promises of them, the Rancheros should be a very tough team to beat.

Prediction: THIRD

Chief Rum · 08-08-2008, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graygoose12

Atlanta Firecrackers
1969: 69-85, 6th place in CL

After basically missing an entire season due to a vacation, I made it back in time to make some late signings this past offseason. My team is still a couple of years away from being competitive, but I finally have in place a solid core of good young players

Pitchers
David Barajas - One of the better young pitchers in the league, still only 22 years old. Followed a 14-win, 2.88 ERA in his rookie year, with a 11-win, 3.73 ERA last year. Should improve on those numbers.

Orlando Fernandez - Another young pitcher (27 years old), went 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA in 1969.

Robert Hooper - 24 years old, 12-15 with a 4.03 ERA in 1969.

Jose Muniz - A very solid relief pitcher, went 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 73.1 IP last year.

Stan Miller - Only 19 years old, went 2-3, 36 saves, and a 1.55 ERA in 1969.

Corey Templeman - 20 years old, a 2.80 ERA in 74 IP last year.

Offense
2B Fred Lindsay - Solid infielder, batted .313 (.401 OBP), 9 HR, 56 RBI in 1969.

3B Ed Manning - One of the better third baseman in the league, .309 (.408 OBP), 24 HR, 78 RBI last year.

OF Jorge Aguirre - Only 18 years old, batted .318, 11 HR, 45 RBI in his inaugural season.

Looks like you sold yourself short. Way to go (through July anyway).

Young Drachma · 08-09-2008, 01:00 AM

Here's how the FOOL.TV predictions faired:

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE
1. Valdosta (Actual: 1st)
2. Toronto (Actual: 4th)
3. Brooklyn (Actual: 5th)
4. Atlanta (Actual: 3rd)
5. New York (Actual: 6th)
6. Rio Grande (Actual: 2nd)
7. Baltimore (Actual: 7th)
8. Texas (Actual: 8th)

REPUBLIC LEAGUE
1. Compton (Actual: 1st)
2. Boston (Actual: 4th)
3. Ann Arbor (Actual: 2nd)
4. Quad City (Actual: T-6th)
5. Seattle (Actual: T-6th)
6. Colorado (Actual: 3rd)
7. El Paso (Actual: 8th)
8. Hartford (Actual: 5th)

08-08-2008, 02:31 PM	#6
Cringer Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edinburg,TX	Rio Grande Roadrunners 1969: 71-83, Fourth in CL 1968: 92-62, FOOL Champions After an amazing championship season in 1968, the Roadrunners tried to maintain the roster in 1969. What seemed to be minimal changes on the outside seemed to be create more then enough impact on the team to cause them to drop out of what ended up as a three way race for the CL crown. Several changes before last season were made to the 'backup' and utility players, and lack of contribution from those guys seemed to hurt the Roadrunners. The loss of their #2 starting pitcher and a change at closer also seemed to be negatives. The rest of the team stayed the same though, and it was that that actually hurt R.G. the most. A drop off in offensive numbers from 1968 to 1969 for several key, middle of the lineup guys took it's toll. So going into the 1970 season the Roadrunners were to make some big changes right? Wrong. The front office in Rio Grande wanted to hold course and see if they can bounce back from a down year. The lineup will remain unchanged once again. Even the guys on the bench remain nearly unchanged. The hope here? Well, the guys on the bench were mostly new to the major league level, so another year may bring more production. Also, the stars are just that in the eyes of management, stars. They will be expected to bounce back from their down years and if all goes well then the team will once again have a winning record. C Tanaka is expected to be his normal self, but guys to watch this year are those who had down years last year. RF Andres Aguilera was one of those guys, and with a slow spring there will be little patience from fans if he is not at least average this season. 1B Tyler Reilly is another guy who dropped off last year, and really has folks wondering if he is done for after a horrible spring. LF Juan Navarro, after a great rookie year in '68 needs to bounce back from his bad '69 season. If those three guys are not better then they were a year ago then this team is in trouble. When it comes to pitching, we once again see no to little change from a year ago. The rotation will be the same five starters from a year ago, after Ted Prouse was ineffective in his second straight spring and will once again sit in AAA for the year. SP Jose Medina will be the #1 guy, as his down year last year can actually be blamed some on the lack of offensive support. The only real change in the rotation will be Doug Pitts moving back to a more natural #3 (or perhaps even #4) spot, with Pepe Santana moving to #2 and Todd Sparks being in 3 or 4. Billy Martin will spend his 4th season in the Roadrunner's 5th spot, where he has been a steady but unspectacular pitcher since joining the team. In the bullpen we will see two newcomers in Javier Cruz and Pat Moss, both who come from the minors of other organizations last year. Moss did spend a couple seasons in the majors for Brooklyn previous to last year and the hope is he will be fairly solid. The main change in the bullpen is at the closer spot. Raul Pagan, a long time fixture and stud in the Rio Grande bullpen will be moved back to the closer role. After a great '68 season in that role he was once again moved to setup man last year and Manual Montano was the closer. The move was considered a failure overall, though not a disaster. Hopes are with those two switching spots again that the bullpen will be more effective overall. As we look at the 1970 Rio Grande Roadrunners, what will happen this season is a mystery. Will they recapture some of what they had in '68, or fall flat again like they did in '69? Early indications are that the 1968 season is in the past and it will be hard to recapture that glory. Brooklyn, New York, and Valdosta have to be seen as the frontrunners once again, though perhaps Rio grande can hang with them this season if things go right. Prediction: 78-76, 4th place __________________ You Stole Fizzy Lifting drinks! You bumped into the ceiling which now has to be washed and steralized, so you get NOTHING! You lose!

08-08-2008, 07:52 PM	#9
Alan T Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mass.	Wow, Fool tv changed their predictions from when I saw them earlier! I was going to comment about how I didn't mind being an underdog and that historically I have done much better when no one expected me to win then the seasons i was picked to win the league (Earlier he had me picked to finish 5th in the CL).. I chose not to post it as I didn't want to come across too smug or anything! I wonder why the drastic change for the tv show? __________________ Couch to ??k - From the couch to a Marathon in roughly 18 months.

08-08-2008, 08:05 PM	#12
Alan T Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mass.	I think my pitching is going to be roughly the same as last year. My bullpen I think will be slightly stronger, my starting pitching should be about the same but perhaps a bit deeper. I think Prado can't possibly repeat last year which was probably one of the best years any pitcher has had in the history of this league (all things other than wins excluded), but my 3rd and 5th starters should be better than last year I think. My hitting I think is tougher to determine.. I don't think overall it will be as good as last year, but the numbers my offense put up last year were very underrated. Considering the park we played half of our games in, then looking at their equalized stats vs the rest of the CL, and they were heads and tails better then any other offense in the CL. I don't think they can improve or even repeat that feat.. the one number that absolutely has to improve though is the power numbers.. I actually didn't think it was possible to put up that type of OPS with that low of HR total. I still think last year the two best teams were in the CL, and in my heart I feel if last season was run 10 times, we'd at least make the championship a handful of those times. So my goal is to try and keep at least even from last year, but in the end I don't think it will be possible. I'm hoping though the same will be true with other CL teams. __________________ Couch to ??k - From the couch to a Marathon in roughly 18 months. Last edited by Alan T : 08-08-2008 at 08:05 PM.

08-08-2008, 08:10 PM	#14
Alan T Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mass.	I also don't expect my team to finish first for another reason.. I drastically changed my team strategy this year to mirror a more comfortable style of play for me. Which sometimes leads to unpredicatble results and the needs for different players in the lineup than I expect... I'm also playing at least 2 people out of position most of the year, and made two pretty drastic relief pitching changes for me.. so I'm excited to see the results tonight. __________________ Couch to ??k - From the couch to a Marathon in roughly 18 months.

08-08-2008, 11:09 PM	#17
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	COLORADO RANCHEROS Last Year: 77-77, .500 (6th place, RL) To say it was a surprise to see the dominant team from 1968 finish with a .500 record and distantly far from the postseason last year is simply understating it. Teams do go into funks, but to lose 20 games from one season to the next with essentially the same roster says that either a team had some tremendous bad luck, or serious changes needed to be made. I decided to ride the fence. Most of the same team from 1968 is still back and playing key roles. It is my belief that most of them simply had bad years and will bounce back. But I didn't sit idly by, either. I made a major trade in bringing in superstud young starter Craig Davis from Quad City, a developing pitcher who if he meets his talents will be one of the most dominant pitchers in the league. Davis (7-18, 4.76) should benefit from playing for a team with more talent, and is already seeing further growth in his abilities. Plus, he won't have to handle "ace" pressure. That still goes to Pablo Gonzalez (17-11, 3.28), a former Pitcher of the Year who remains one of the most consistent ace pitchers in the league. Doug Proctor (15-11, 4.12), one of the best control pitchers in the league, and second year arm Tadakuni Minami (13-13, 4.28), who has tremendous stuff, return to handle the middle of the rotation. The Davis trade included Nelson Valdes, Quad City's new ace. His replacement is former Winter Leaguer Rob Goodwin (17-2, 1.36 at AAA), who was simply dominant at Plano. Goodwin beat out fellow Winter Leaguer Ite Beens and former starter Juan Nunez, who was actually dealt in the Davis deal and was re-signed after being cut by Toronto. Beens and Nunez give the organization quality depth at AAA. The biggest indicator of unusual issues in Colorado in 1969 was the odd downfall of the pen, which was consistently the dominant bullpen unit in the league prior to last year. Superstar CL Pedro Castillo (41 sv, 3.51) returns with an eye toward returning to the dominating numbers of his previous years. The pen remains stocked with cross-the-board blue chip arms in setup man Dale Hawkins (2.72), John Mockly (3.24) and Kevin King (3 sv, 3.84). There were rumors that star C Alfredo Alvarado (.327, 16, 81) had taken a hit in the offseason, but he swung the bat well in spring training and is angling for a new contract in his walk year. Not so fortunate is 1B Santiago Gonzalez (.248, 18, 76), who suffered easily his worst season last year, and is also in a walk year. The team is not expected to resign him, and brought in former Ann Arbor farmhand John Todd (just 68 ABs at AAA) to compete with him. Todd didn't get any major league time with Ann Arbor, but scouts say he has a nice stroke and some pop. The only thing set for sure in the middle infield is that star 2B Christian Larsen (.274, 17, 83) will be in the lineup somewhere. It is thought that he will play some short as well this year. Remaining at bats at short and second will feature longtime platooner Lloyd Carnell (.227, 15, 43), who kills lefties, and sweet stroking 2B Rich Haas (just 39 at bats last year). Haas takes over for another good contact hitter in Brian Sampson, another casualty of the Davis deal. Haas and Todd will also see a lot of time at DH. Third base is set. Japanese superstar 3B Teruo Miyahara (.302, 26, 96) is clearly the center of the hitting universe for Colorado and will likely be so for years. The starting outfield returns intact, although the skills of Antonio Morales, dealt away in the Davis deal and now with Toronto, will be felt if some of these players don't bounce back from off years last year. Two years ago, LF Jose Rivera (.283, 10, 78) was one of the most dominant all around players in the league, but his power numbers took a hit last year. While he was never a power hitter, he is likely to improve on his numbers last year. DH Francisco Vega (.266, 18, 64) was the only player who really reproduced his season from 1968, and he will be counted on for more consistency this year. With Morales gone and power hitter Joe Mack (.274, 8, 29) relegated to more of a backup role, this will be RF Dan Murphy's (.304, 5, 31) coming out party. Murphy has reasonable power and discipline, but what could make him special is a stroke which could win him batting titles in his career. The pressure is highest on formerly well-regarded CF Ivan Garcia (.249, 9, 38), who was much lighter hitting in his second year than as a backup in his first. He did steal 52 bases, but was caught 36 times, and never even approached his 1968 numbers. With Morales now gone, Garcia will need to improve and show his talent to take this team to the next level. The RL is way too tough to pick us as champs like I did a few years ago after winning our only Classic in 1966. But we still have the horses to contend. If the vets have the bounce back years they should and some key rookies or former backups with bigger roles have the years their talent promises of them, the Rancheros should be a very tough team to beat. Prediction: THIRD __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

08-07-2008, 10:35 PM	#2
Alan T Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mass.	VALDOSTA PEANUTS 1969: 95-59, 2nd place CL Last season was a mixed bag for the peanuts, as they failed to reach the postseason for the second straight year while at the same time scoring more runs and allowing fewer runs than any other team in the CL. Valdosta returns perhaps the scariest 1-2 pitching combination in the game with staff ace Gabriel 'Vandal' Prado who led the league last year in Innings pitched, ERA, BABIP, WHIP, RA/9, VORP, Quality Starts, and QS %. In fact, for the 10 years of FOOL's existance, Prado has led the league in WHIP 5 of those seasons. Prado is followed in the rotation by 23 year old Carlos 'Gramps' Gonzales, whom was the 1967 Rookie of the Year and the 1968 Pitcher of the Year. The fireballing Gonzales led the league in Strikeouts and K/9 last year and has in fact led the league in Strikeouts all three years that he has been in the majors. The question marks regarding the Peanuts' pitching staff can be found at the end of the rotation as well as in the bullpen. Future Hall of Fame Closer Matt Wood only needs 33 more saves to reach 300 for his career, however the leash on him might be short after his 5-11 record last season. Valdosta may look to youngsters Albert 'Stinky' Barbosa and Billy Stephens to lock up the 8th and 9th innings instead. Valdosta's every day lineup was the most potent in the CL last season despite having an extreme fall off in their power numbers from previous years. Left fielder Lawrence Wyatt led the Peanuts last season with only 13 home runs, despite putting up an .885 OPS. The huge hole in this year's lineup is the absence of team leader Heath Palmer who chose to move across the country for a big pay day rather than stay loyal to a team and a town that loved him. His shoes will be attempted to be filled by former MVP third baseman Rick Inman whom put up his worst numbers since his rookie season last year. Valdosta did not make any key offseason aquisitions this year, instead choosing to stand pat. For a team that finished with the best pythagorean record in all of FOOL, the big question for 1970 will be: Did they just get unlucky last season, and can virtually the same team one year older pull back to the postseason for the second time in four years? __________________ Couch to ??k - From the couch to a Marathon in roughly 18 months.

08-07-2008, 11:31 PM	#3
Young Drachma Dark Cloud Join Date: Apr 2001	QUAD CITY THUNDERSTORMS 1969: 38-116, 8th place RL To truly understand how bad the former Chicago Comets have been in the FOOL, consider this. They have only had won 70+ win season in franchise history, a 4th place finish during the first season of FOOL play in 1961. Since that team, the team has been one of the worst in the game and despite a few stutters have never been able to grasp any footing. Along with Toronto and Seattle, they among the only three teams in FOOL history to never record a winning season and only two -- expansion Seattle and former Chicago -- have never had at least a .500 season. Enter Dark Cloud. The only original GM left in FOOL, he's taken his game to the owners chair now, acquiring an ownership stake in a team after a career that's led him to six RL titles in nine years and 2 FOOL Classic championships. After taking Compton further than anyone could've imagined -- to a 9-game extra inning classic -- to the brink of a title against Brooklyn, he left sunny California for the stifling humidity of the Midwest and heads just north of the Mississippi river, where he led the St. Louis Terriers for years. By moving the woeful Comets franchise to a small city outside of the glitz and glamor and to the smallest market in the RL and the 2nd smallest market in all of FOOL (after Valdosta) he thinks that this just might be the trick to creating the Midwest's newest sensation in baseball -- the Quad City Thunderstorms. The Thunderstorms are a young team, owning to a strategy where D.C. went out and acquired players to complement the team's core. "We wanted to get players that could grow with the ballclub, while augmenting what we've already got," he said. The pitching staff is led by Nelson Valdes from Colorado, who went 11-13 with a 4.25 last year. He's only won 11 games each of the four years of his career. Second in the rotation, Dave Hardee is a 22-year old rookie southpaw, who was one of the best pitching prospects for the Rancheros who came in the trade from the Craig Davis trade this off-season. Rounding out the rotation are former Seattle hurler Carlos Gomez who went 13-15 last year and 5th starter is Hisashi Hosino, a former reliever who went came over from Hartford and who has never been a starter before. On the offensive side of the house, the T-Storms return former all-star SS Clay Darby who is coming off a down year for him, hitting .262 with 11 HR and 74 RBI last year. Free agent signee Jerry Matthews will play first base after coming over from Texas this year. He hit .287 with 22 HRs and 97 RBI. Youngster infielder Lorenz Heijnen is hoping for a breakout second year, after a rookie year hitting .229. Second-year player Bob Arnold is playing DH. The team reads like a FOOL emerging players list. Third baseman Marcos Montoya will make his debut this year. This is a young squad and they're pitching chops are a bit weak, yet...this is the first time that the franchise has a legitimate shot to reach the mountaintop of .500 or better. They're going to grow into their spots, but it'll be fun to watch these guys grow.

08-08-2008, 12:57 PM	#4
gstelmack Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Cary, NC	I don't know if I have time for a full preview, but some Boston notes: - After handing Patrick Perkins an extension at the beginning of the 1969 season, he decided to show his career was about over, and management cut him and ate the entire extension at the start of this year. Mike Vickers has been moved up to AAA to help round out the infield. - MacDonald and Maddox are back to anchor our staff. 1st round draft pick Ryan Cook decided to make huge strides in spring training and has immediately moved into the #5 spot in our rotation. - Millard has been moved up from AAA to add another bat in the outfield and to help in right field. Aside from that, we've got another year of experience for a lot of young folks. My big mistake is probably having one too many fielders and one too few relievers, but with various relievers only pitching 10 innings the last few seasons, I felt it was worth it to keep the batters fresh. We haven't slid any talent-wise, should be a bit better, and so if things hold together we should be reaching towards 90 wins and a shot at the pennant. Or reaching towards 90 wins and a FIFTH place finish this year if the pattern continues... __________________ -- Greg -- Author of various FOF utilities

08-08-2008, 08:08 PM	#13
Young Drachma Dark Cloud Join Date: Apr 2001	The most bold predictions were 1) Picking Toronto to finish 2nd, 2) Picking Hartford to finish last and 3) picking Seattle and Quad City to finish above Colorado. I just don't think any of those three things are likely to happen. But again, that's why you play games. I can't wait for the 10th season of FOOL!

08-08-2008, 10:45 PM	#16
graygoose12 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Nov 2004	Atlanta Firecrackers 1969: 69-85, 6th place in CL After basically missing an entire season due to a vacation, I made it back in time to make some late signings this past offseason. My team is still a couple of years away from being competitive, but I finally have in place a solid core of good young players Pitchers David Barajas - One of the better young pitchers in the league, still only 22 years old. Followed a 14-win, 2.88 ERA in his rookie year, with a 11-win, 3.73 ERA last year. Should improve on those numbers. Orlando Fernandez - Another young pitcher (27 years old), went 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA in 1969. Robert Hooper - 24 years old, 12-15 with a 4.03 ERA in 1969. Jose Muniz - A very solid relief pitcher, went 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 73.1 IP last year. Stan Miller - Only 19 years old, went 2-3, 36 saves, and a 1.55 ERA in 1969. Corey Templeman - 20 years old, a 2.80 ERA in 74 IP last year. Offense 2B Fred Lindsay - Solid infielder, batted .313 (.401 OBP), 9 HR, 56 RBI in 1969. 3B Ed Manning - One of the better third baseman in the league, .309 (.408 OBP), 24 HR, 78 RBI last year. OF Jorge Aguirre - Only 18 years old, batted .318, 11 HR, 45 RBI in his inaugural season.

08-09-2008, 01:00 AM	#19
Young Drachma Dark Cloud Join Date: Apr 2001	Here's how the FOOL.TV predictions faired: CONTINENTAL LEAGUE 1. Valdosta (Actual: 1st) 2. Toronto (Actual: 4th) 3. Brooklyn (Actual: 5th) 4. Atlanta (Actual: 3rd) 5. New York (Actual: 6th) 6. Rio Grande (Actual: 2nd) 7. Baltimore (Actual: 7th) 8. Texas (Actual: 8th) REPUBLIC LEAGUE 1. Compton (Actual: 1st) 2. Boston (Actual: 4th) 3. Ann Arbor (Actual: 2nd) 4. Quad City (Actual: T-6th) 5. Seattle (Actual: T-6th) 6. Colorado (Actual: 3rd) 7. El Paso (Actual: 8th) 8. Hartford (Actual: 5th)

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